Merry Christmas, everyone. This is my Christmas present to all of you: a new chapter! I probably won't update until next year, so this is it for a while. Again, Merry Christmas, and have a Happy New Year while you're at it.

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They didn't have a set destination, so she let Felix choose where they went, which often meant that they didn't even to on land; they just stayed on the ship. Not that she minded. Out there, they were well and truly alone, and she enjoyed every minute of it. It was the beginning of summer, so they stayed out under the stars at night. They got very little sleep, but there was nothing pressing that either of them had to do, so it didn't matter. The days blended together, and Kagome found it extremely difficult to keep track of time. A week passed, then two, and before she knew it, another three months had passed her by. For some reason, she found it harder and harder to care that she had been gone for so long. She would ask Felix when they were going back, but he would plead to stay just a little longer, and each time, she resisted him just a little less until she just stopped asking. It made him happy, being out here on the sea, and she knew that once she returned to her home, it wasn't likely she would do this again for a long time.

It had been a whole month since she had asked him last, so she felt it was time to broach the subject again. "Felix," she said. "Don't you think we should start heading home?"

She felt him tense. "So soon?"

"Love, we've been away from home for over a year, and I said we wouldn't be gone long. Don't you miss everyone?"

"Once we go back, I won't be like this with you." He pulled her closer.

"I know that you'll miss this, but Jeremy and Kikyo need us. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't ask this of you. I'd be more than willing to spend more time out here, but we have to look after them."

Sighing, he let her go so she could look down at him. "Would it mean all that much to you?" he asked wistfully.

She smiled down at him. "Yes, it would. I hate to cut your fun short, but it's time we got back to reality."

The trip back to Inuyasha's Forest wasn't as long as the trip out, but Kagome wished it was the reverse. She was anxious to get back, but Felix wasn't quite done being free from their normal lives. While they were on the ship, he treated her the way he did when they were first married. Once they got home, he would have to put a stop to that because of the other houseguests.

Arriving in Champa, they sold their ship and bought a much smaller raft so they could just sail up the river and not travel through the Suhulla desert. It only took a few days, and once they came to Kalay, they sold to raft and traveled the rest of the way on foot. Kagome could almost smell the Goshinboku and the pines near it, and picked up her pace.

When the forest came into view, Kagome started to run. She knew that forest inside and out, so she knew where she was going, even after being away for a year and a half. The tall trees flashed by, welcoming her and Felix home. Stopping at the path, she waited impatiently for her slow husband to catch up. Of all the days for him to be slow!

He appeared by her side. "In a hurry, are we?" he asked mildly, continuing onward.

"Should we go home first, or should we see if they're at Isaac's?" she asked, close to skipping. "They could be at either place."

"Why don't we go home first," her husband suggested, holding the bags up for her to see and shaking them. "Maybe they don't weigh you down, but they're starting to drag me closer to the ground with each step."

"I guess that's a good idea." Now she started skipping, aware of her husband's tolerant gaze on her. The trees provided shade from the hot sun, and the breeze blowing by was cool, caressing her as she passed. The forest, already a mysterious place, became a fairly land. Gold patches stretched across the path where the sunlight made it through the emerald leaves of the forest. Sapphire-blue violets waved their petals as they passed. The whispering wind carried the sounds of young dryads and elves playing near the stream. Kagome let her eyes close and her imagination run away. This is home.

When she reopened her eyes, she saw the glorious image of her house right in front of her. It feels so good to be home. I missed this place so much. Her gaze wandered over to the Goshinboku. Now that I'm back, I should go pay my respects to the dead and say hello.

Walking over to the gigantic tree, she knelt by the gravestones. I'm back, guys. Sorry I've been gone for so long. I had a problem I had to take care of, but now that it's done, I'm home. I'll try not to be away for so long again.

A hand put itself on her shoulder, and when she looked up, she saw Felix looking at Koga's grave, a small frown on his face. "Those symbols look like the ones on those sutras you made," he remarked. "Are these sutra markings on the stones?"

"No, love, they're grave markings. Sutras are something else." She pointed to Miroku's grave. "He used to make powerful sutras. Often he would just put them up and pretend there was a demon there so we would have a place to sleep. I can't say that I approved of what he did, but he did his part to get us comfortable quarters."

He squeezed her shoulder. "Now that you've said hello, should we go inside and find Jeremy and Kikyo?"

Rising and following Felix, she cast one last look behind her. I won't leave for so long again. I promise. He opened the door for her, and she stepped inside, removing her shoes and looking around. Not much had changed. The same pictures were on the walls of the hallway, the furniture was all in the same place. There were a couple more chairs in the kitchen, but she had been planning on adding more anyway, and continued on to her room, where she promptly dropped all her bags on the bed. It really is good to be home, she said to herself again, looking at her familiar room, everything in its place.

"Kagome, I don't think they're here," Felix called from a different room. "Should we try Isaac's?"

"Sure, just give me a minute." She walked out to the front hall where Felix waited for her. Offering him her arm, she smiled. "Shall we?"

He linked arms with her. "We shall."

They walked arm-in-arm on the path and turned onto the branch leading to Isaac's home. Kagome admired the scenery around her, so she didn't pay much attention to what was in front of her. When Felix stopped walking, she tried to keep going, but was prevented by the arm he held. Looking in front, she saw Kikyo, looking just like her mother did at that age, staring at them. "Hi, Kikyo," she said. "We're home."

Kikyo dropped the bag she had been holding and ran to them with open arms. "I didn't know when you'd be back," she cried. "You said you weren't going to be gone long, but then you didn't come back."

"We were detained, but don't worry, we won't do that again without telling you," Felix assured her. "Now where's your father? I don't see him hovering around here like he usually does when it's just the two of you."

Her eyes shadowed, but then they brightened again. "Oh, he's with Lina and her baby."

"Who?" Kagome and Felix asked simultaneously.

"Lina. She's his wife, and Kaede, the baby, is my little sister."